| Hom Raj |
Posted
on 10-Mar-01 10:40 PM
I was waiting for things to simmer down, that is precisely why I had not posted new stuff on the Kurakani. Now that the language in Kurakani has cooled off a little, more or less, it has rejuvenated my attention. I would also like to congratulate Manjushree for breaking the great wall. Although I have not read much of her work, I once encountered a story by her in the back of a scholarly journal. Not only do I remember thinking the writing was great, but an image from it has stuck in my mind to this day, which is a hallmark of great writing. An old man was waiting in a bureaucrat’s office, somewhere in the boondocks, with a cabbage as a gift. If anyone knows the name of the story please tell me; I’d love to find it again!
When I read that story I had no idea who she was. In happenstance I happened to rave about this great writer to someone who told me her background which impressed me even more. Being a person of truly mind-blowing privilege, she nevertheless put time and effort into actually going and living in the boondocks herself and learning about the true Nepal. I was amazed. Here is someone who could live in the US, could spend her time just partying in KTM, but instead is using her privilege (such as excellent education) for such a good purpose.
Ashu, it’s not about a class issue here. Using the word “privilege” is not an attack on you or any friends of yours!!! Please don’t take things here personally. I am more interested in dialogue and consensus rather than fighting back and forth. The fact is, some people have privilege and some don’t. It is the humility to recognize the privilege, and to use it wisely. It is not an attack to mention privilege. As I recall this story I liked so much by Manjushree Thapa, it was really about this very thing—what does it mean to not have privilege.
(PS Biswo, she wrote a book about Mustang, I think it's called "Mustang Bhot in Fragments." Parts of it are strong, parts weaker. It was published by Himal.)
To segue, Ashu is absolutely right about the lack of revision among Nepali writers. However, people are conditioned, and we have to recognize that as well. Perhaps people like ourselves who have been educated in the US, whose works have been cut and criticized and deleted by professors many times, realize the importance of editing and careful thought and reasoning. This privilege (to use that dreaded word again) is not available to many Nepalis. Until you reach masters, if you are educated like most people are in Nepal, you never have to write a critical essay(except in the exam and there it’s not really a “critical essay”). How can we expect the vast majority of Nepali writers to be aware of such things that we truly admire in Western education? This is why creating a reading culture in Nepal is so important to me! I am indeed writing about this, as Ashu is writing about kamaiya and logic in Nepali language. (By the way, I'd be curious to know his general thesis). But mine would be in Nepali.
As for Samrat’s work, I really liked “The Good Shopkeeper,” and my reading of the story is that it is about the socio-cultural environment. I found it realistic in that it highlighted the issue of crossing the social, occupational and status boundaries. I’d be happy to go on and on about this but I gather it’s already been discussed on this site. Biswo, I’d really like to read what you had written about it. If you don’t want to rehash on this site and still have what you wrote, you can send it to me (homrajacharya@yahoo.com)
By the way, I also have something coming up, not as substantial as a novel or book, but a poem in a nationally circulated US literary journal called “Salt Hill.” It is supposed to be available in April in all Barnes and Noble stores! If you find it, please let me know what you think. (Also if anyone has read my book of poetry in Nepali, Jeevit Kankal, let me know what you think about that too. Anyone who is looking for logic might have to struggle. But it is there. Maybe a different sort than most people are used to, though.)
Have fun writing everyone,
Hom Raj.
|
| ashu |
Posted
on 11-Mar-01 11:48 AM
Hom Raj wrote:
>I was waiting for things to simmer down,
>that is precisely why I had not posted new
>stuff on the Kurakani.
Oh, Hom Raj, don't worry about the occasional
heat, light and thunder on this discussion site!
Such emotions -- raw or polished and however
interpreted -- show that we are all alive and
kicking, and that we passionately care about
the issues under discussion.
As you well know, most of us Nepalis (and I am
including myself too) are so used to so-called easy,
harmonious and ultimately shallow consensus, not
to mention 'easy, safe and precictable words
of praises' that -- to be really better -- we
really need to encounter more of vehement
disagreements, opposite stances, and strong
counter-opinions to clear p the cobwebs inside
our brains. For Nepalis, Web sites like this
offer unfettered chances to explore/debate and
discuss issues at length, provided there are
respondents.
And so, viewed this way, there is no reason for
anyone, least of all me, to take things personally
:-)
So, yes, let's accept occasional heat, light
and thunder from any of us on this Site
as just another day in the life of GBNC Web
site.
>If anyone knows the name of the
>story please tell me; I’d love to find it
>again!
Manju has been writing stories in Nepali
language too. Some of these have been published
in Asmita magazine.
>Ashu, it’s not about a class issue here.
>Using the word “privilege” is not an attack
>on you or any friends of yours!!! Please don’
>t take things here personally.
I am not taking things personally: don't worry
about that. I just wish you had first defined the
word 'privilege' for the purpose of this discussion.
After all, any notion of 'privilege' is a relative
one.
>I am more
>interested in dialogue and consensus rather
>than fighting back and forth. The fact is,
>some people have privilege and some don’t.
Again, the idea of privilege is dependent
upon the context, just like the idea of
'elite' is. As for dialogue and consensus,
I think -- and based on my experiences -- that
the more opposing ideas we can generate, the more
we will learn from one another. In other words,
my attitude is: we can and should have intellectual
disagreements, without getting personal.
>This [editing and revising]
>privilege (to use that dreaded word again)
>is not available to many Nepalis. Until you
>reach masters, if you are educated like most
>people are in Nepal, you never have to write
>a critical essay(except in the exam and
>there it’s not really a “critical essay”).
>How can we expect the vast majority of
>Nepali writers to be aware of such things
>that we truly admire in Western education?
I used to think the same way myself, until
I started asking Nepali writers whether
they ever revise their works.
The answer, in almost all cases, was: No.
I then asked whether they were aware of the
importance of revising and editing their
works.
All said: Yes
Based on this admittedly limited experiment,
I have concluded that Nepali writers do not
lack awareness, but it's just that they have
never been challenged (to use the word
positively) by bone fide editors to go back
and revise their works. In fact, any mention
of revision and further editing is seen
as an insult.
How you root out this perception is beyond
my understanding.
>By the way, I also have something coming up,
>not as substantial as a novel or book, but a
>poem in a nationally circulated US literary
>journal called “Salt Hill.” It is supposed
>to be available in April in all Barnes and
>Noble stores! If you find it, please let me
>know what you think.
Congratulations on your achievement. Since I
have a friend in New York whose job is to reject
100s of poems everyday, I can sense that getting
a poem in a nationally circulated US literary
journal is no small achievment.
Time-permitting, do post some of your previously
published poems on this Site too.
oohi
ashu
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