I am an ordinary person who neither has influential parents nor much money. An open book of unending struggles, I am a fire under ashes heap and, perhaps, an orchid of the cliff. Moreover, I tried to move against the current trends. First of all, I did not knock at the door of notable editors and columnists. Secondly I did not ask bigwigs to write blurbs for my books. Thirdly, my books were not released by a VVIP at a Star Hotel nor did I sponsor any Mo:Mo party to the selected guests. I did not distribute printed T-shirts or abridged copies as complimentary.
Also I did not coax the publisher to make hang big jackets and flax prints. Of course, I did not advertise it by spending the amount that exceeds the royalties I get selling all one thousand copies. I know none of my book is going to bag awards as Palpasa Café did. Nor will it secure evergreen positions that of Karna Shakya’a Soch or Budhhisagar’s Karnali Blues. What is crystal clear is my limitations—forget about Stephine Myer’s fame, yet Sushma Joshi’s reputation is difficult to trounce.
In fact, many writers create beautiful compositions every year, Nepal is no exception, but are we informed well enough? Cannot other writers write fictions as P Coelo or Jagdish Ghimire do? If so, why is there so much bias while covering the writers and their creations? Wagley and Budhhisagar to name few. There are many commonalities among these authors, and it will not be tilted if I say it is no other than “media hype”.
For example, in terms of publication, 2011 is the golden year for me. Besides a half dozen research papers in inter/national journals, I got published 3 books though it took almost ten years to compose and refine those manuscripts. Out of three books two were from outside the country. God’s Greatest Gift and other non-fictitious fictions, Female Teachers at Schools in Nepal: Cats on the Hot Tin Roofs hit the bookstands few months back and the third one Hedonism, Shame and Disgrace is being born. God’s Greatest Gift and other non-fictitious fictions is an anthology of narratives that address the glocal issues. Where as Female Teachers at Schools in Nepal: Cats on the hot Tin Roofs is about oddities that female teachers in Nepal experience while upholding their home, office and society. And Hedonism, Shame and Disgrace is about sociopolitical and psychological dilemmas and consequences. Therefore, each book is full of totally alienating contents and themes.
There has been no coverage of these in Nepali media till now though my publisher left few copies of my debut book at leading houses. I’m writing my own story without any shy because I am a representation of other writers, composers, singers and musicians who are deliberately ignored time and again here. Today when Nepali media has arrived at in its Golden Age for both quality and quantity, only handful writers are promoted on and on, which I think is very wrong. However, I do not have any compunction as such. I know money talks. Having closely observed how Anuja Baniya was heightened optimum despite of her baseless claim, it is unsurprising on seeing the hypes and propagandas only of few mainstream writers and their work/s.
Still I am soothed and feel blessed as whoever got or seen my book exclaimed, “Oh , …… !!!” By now these books have travelled different parts of world. Only a week back, Library of Congress agent called me and inquired, “Do you have a dozen issues to send them to Delhi?” It seems slowly my books are getting in the market although most of Nepali media has not stopped covering the issues as in Peepli Live movie. They have eyes but mind. That is why they zoom the center but don’t excavate the periphery.
I think that this review will get into a dustbin of the editorial room. However, with gumption I have written this unknowing the real motive. Even don’t know instead of being genteel, why I am colliding my head with a mammoth mountain. Perhaps, I’m towed to a mission of making impossible to “I am possible”.
