बको ध्यानम् : Bako Dhyanam; a complete nepali blog.: English Stuffs

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Mahesh Paudyal is emerging name in the field of literature, literary criticism, critical theories and translation. He was born on 15 February, 1982 AD. He had completed his BA in English (Honors) being Gold Medalist from Manipur University, India. He had also completed MA in English from Tribhuvan University and MPhil in English from Pokhara University being Gold Medalist consecutively. Presently he is teaching at Central Department of English, TU and Post-graduate students at Pokhara University. He has written 12 books for children, more than 30 school textbooks of English language and grammar and also translated and edited more than 40 books.

What are you doing nowadays?

I am doing a few, eclectic things: writing school textbooks, translating some children's and adult's literature, and above all, I am collecting and translating poems that are rooted in Nepal's indigenous and original knowledge. The same will be published and disseminated across borders.

How about your movement 'Kavitama Nepal'? How's it going?

Kavitama Nepal is getting an overwhelmingly encouraging response. People from many regions-both at home and abroad-are expressing their solitarily. We are holding series of workshops at various places in Nepal. The media has been so supportive to us.

Why is this movement required for the present literary scenario?

If you observe trends in world literature, after every long phase of realistic writing, there comes a phase of romantic renaissance. Nepal has written a lot of protest literature and realistic, political literature for more than half a century now, with a few interstitial writings of other hues in the middle. So, it's time for a romantic renaissance. I am fascinated with the word 'romantic' here, because, no other school of thought catches up the past and mythical glory as much as romanticism does. Second, when we are deeply impatient about internationalizing ourselves, we need to identify, excavate and articulate knowledge that is indigenously ours so that international readership has something uniquely original thing to read. So, this movement has been launched to encourage writers to shun what is foreign and overworked, and to turn to something that is originally ours and yes, perenially fresh. It's time to say, 'local is global', you know!

Many literary figures blame that Mahesh Paudyal is trying to teach the poets. Why are they making such blames?

No one has directly blamed me that I am 'teaching' them. If they have talked in my absence, they are very weak commentators. Moreover, I am not dictating them any theme, and this I have said in the public domain. If poets find themselves uncomfortable with my idea, they have all liberty to continue with what they had been doing hitherto. What I am saying is that, poets can pick up any theme, any issue they like. I am only telling that in order to play their themes, it will be a good idea to choose the route of local, untapped and unexplored metaphors that are exclusively Nepalese. It has been long that we have said, our cultural diversity is out strength, but practically, we have used it nowhere, except in dividing ourselves along narrow political and ethnic lines. Poetry can show the strength of our cultural richness. This is to encourage poets to save themselves from choosing dead and over-worked metaphors, and therefore, to explore the nascent gem. If that invites any blame, I am ready to face not one or two, but millions of them. Nothing will deter me, for, I already have a number of scholars and youths working with me.

What is the position of Nepalese Literature in Global phenomenon?

It's not very encouraging. Browse through the curriculum of universities outside Nepal and see how many Nepali poets and writers are taught. Find international literary journals and see how many research articles are on Nepali literature. See researches abroad, and find how many of them are on Nepal's literary issue. Check international book stalls, and international best-selling list, and see what percentage of them are represented by Nepali books. Barbara Stoller Miller in 1994 published Masterworks in Asian Literature under a Columbia University project, and there's no Nepal. Paul Brians, in 2003 brought out Modern South Asian Literature from Greenwood Publication, and Nepal is sadly missing in his work. Rosemary M. Canfield Reisman, a Charleston Southern University professor in 2012 published the book Asian Poets from Salem Press and there's no Nepal. I can name several other works like this. Think what the position of Nepalese literature in the global is. Our Diasporas do not seem to be penetrating into the mainstream literary worlds and universities in their host countries; they have developed Nepali literary ghettoes there, and their literary and critical exercises are limited to the ghettoes.

What should be done for the upliftment of present field of Nepali literature?

It will be wrong to say there's no translation, and there are no good translators. Many have come up and exhibited world-class translation skills. In your own region, you have extraordinary talents like Manu Manjil. But, translators can translate only what is at their disposal; they cannot invent quality where it is originally missing. And what has so far happened is, normally, those who write well have no money to pay the translators and manage the publishing and shipping. Those who can are not good writers necessarily. So, in most of the cases, wrong literature is being translated. Bodies like the government, Nepal Academy and our universities have never seriously considered translating the best ever written works into English. So, these bodies should make objective selection of what is really good, and ensure their translation and distribution. Universities should enhance inter-university links to ensure inclusion of Nepali works in curriculums across the world. What fresh translators like us can do is encourage writers to write in a new pattern, with fresh and ever-green metaphors, and translate such stuffs with originally local and unique knowledge, and ship such stuffs abroad. And yes, people like us should keep honking that writers should produce original, fresh and timless stuffs, rooted in our original epistemic tradition.

Nowadays, the horizon of translation is expanding. What do you think about the trend of translation? Does it follow the way to prosperous future of literature?

Many people know I teach English, and so they promptly ask, "Sir, please translate my work from Nepali into English." But they never care to ask whether I am good at Nepali. For translators, it is mandatory that they are good in both source and target languages. But in Nepal, this has seldom been the case. Pick any piece of translation available in Nepal and read for yourself; you will instantly realize that most of our translations lack standard, and are hopelessly literal and prosaic. Second thing is, the language of our translated works is still very, very bookish and pedantic; we have not, so far, been able to care how we can infuse colloquial and informal quality of language in it, so that it sounds natural. In am not an exception. Even then, I am aware, some wonderful translators have come, but they have so far been treated like farmhands, and have not been deservingly employed and remunerated. Yet, my hopes for future are bright.

What is and what should be done by the government in teaching-learning of English language?

I have been observing Nepali academia for a decade now-both as a student and a teacher. My conclusion is that, government practically does nothing at all. Follow the media; students in western hills do not even get textbooks. Government schools, where teachers are trained every now and then, are hopelessly lagging in delivering good quality. The government should shun lip-profession and take up real task. It should train teachers not only from government schools, but also from the private ones. It should ensure the delivery of necessary materials in time.

What you see the attraction of students towards English literature?

I have seen that they have an overwhelmingly passionate attraction. But, one major complaint they have is, they do not comprehend English texts very well. The reason is their weak school base of English language. They also often fail to make the correct choice of book that best suits their age and comprehensibility. Teachers can make a difference here. Many believe, they can improve themselves by writing and getting it corrected frequently. That, I think, is a wrong idea. My conviction is that reading is the best therapy for improving.

Braindrain is the burning problem of Nepal. What do you think about the departure of educated youths?

You are right. First thing, going abroad has become a fashion. Second, the government has failed to ensure that educated youths have placement and job opportunities here. I think, this is a very, very unfortunate state of affair.

What should be done to stop them from going abroad?

That day, when our government starts feeling ashamed that its most hopeful manpower is leaving the nation, I hope, it will start developing alternative job opportunities in agriculture, industry, education, IT, and such other areas, and the trend will come down. As long as a stable government doesn't take over and real development works do not start taking shape, I see bleak chances of stopping the exodus.

In academic field of Nepal, the faculty of Humanities is highly ignored. But in developed countries Humanities is most favorable faculty. Few Nepalese students study Humanities rather than other faculties. How do you evaluate this situation as a university teacher?

In fact, at school and intermediate or even bachelor's level, Humanities is no more an attraction. The reason is plain and simple: Humanities has no job. At universities, we still have a huge mass of Humanities students, but the number is sliding. If opportunities for job do not boom, no one can stop the graph from dwindling further. This is an unfortunate indication. If this happens, where will our future writers, critics, media-personnel, sociologists, historians, political analysts, editors and translators come from¿ The highest of all, human values and ethics will touch their nadir, much to the detriment of the entire nation. I am deeply pained to see Humanities being neglected.

Last but not the least, what are your suggestion, advice and messages for the college students?

College students! If your mother is sick, you don't sell her in the market and buy a new mother. Rather, you treat her with love. Your motherland is sick; treat her from whichever position you can. Second, instead of hollering and politicking at campuses, try to make yourselves parallel with your counterparts in other South Asian countries. Your curriculum is made by human beings, and other students of your own age and caliber can penetrate it so well. If so, why can't you¿ Your every wrong step today will cost something in future. The maxim 'Slow and steady wins the race' doesn't hold good anymore. Only 'fast and steady' wins the race in modern world. So, do not laze away; get to serious working today. Read a lot; energize yourselves each day. You are going to lead us tomorrow. God bless you!